On June 16, 2025, former Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Peng Xiaochun, was placed under investigation. Peng was known as the “steward” and top aide during the tenure of Guo Shengkun, the former Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Guangxi. Rumors have been circulating recently regarding Guo Shengkun, as well as his powerful ally, former Vice President of China and CCP heavyweight Zeng Qinghong.
On June 16, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission of the CCP announced that Peng Xiaochun, former Vice Chairman of the CPPCC of the Guangxi Autonomous Region, is under investigation.
Peng Xiaochun is the 28th high-ranking official to be investigated by the authorities this year.
Public records show that Peng Xiaochun, born in November 1961 in Hepu, Guangxi, became the secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee Office in 1992. He has held various positions throughout his career, including Deputy Secretary of the Longzhou County Party Committee, Deputy Secretary-General of the Nanning Municipal Committee, and Secretary of the Fushui County Party Committee. From 2004 to 2008, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Liuzhou Municipal Committee, and from 2008 to 2010, he held positions such as Director of the Party Committee Office of the Autonomous Region and Director of the Policy Research Office of the Party Committee. In 2010, Peng Xiaochun was appointed as the Secretary of the Hezhou Municipal Committee and concurrently as the Director of the Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee. In 2013, he was appointed Secretary of the Baise Municipal Committee, also serving as the Director of the Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee.
In 2018, Peng Xiaochun became the Vice Chairman of the CPPCC of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. After stepping down as Secretary of the Baise Municipal Committee in 2021, he focused solely on his duties within the CPPCC. In January 2023, Peng Xiaochun no longer held the position of Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region CPPCC.
It is worth noting that Peng Xiaochun was a former colleague of Guo Shengkun, the former Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the CCP in Guangxi.
Guo Shengkun served as Vice Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government from 2004 to 2007, and as Secretary of the Guangxi Party Committee from 2007 to 2012. During Guo’s leadership in Guangxi, Peng Xiaochun was promoted from Deputy Secretary of the Liuzhou Municipal Committee to Deputy Secretary-General of the Guangxi Party Committee, Director of the Party Committee Office, and Director of the Policy Research Office of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, then later as Secretary of the Hezhou Municipal Committee. The role of Director of the Party Committee Office is often referred to as the leader’s “steward,” while the Director of the Party Committee’s Policy Research Office is considered the top aide.
The recent downfall of the Chairman of the Guangxi Autonomous Region Government, Lan Tianli, in May and the Governor of Shanxi Province, Jin Xiangjun, in April were also former associates of Guo Shengkun during his time in Guangxi.
Yin Ke, a pro-democracy influencer living in Australia who goes by the online alias “Jiang Wangzheng,” recently revealed on X platform that Beijing has categorized Lan Tianli’s case as “treason” and alleged that “Jin Xiangjun and Lan Tianli were partners in crime,” engaging in illegal rare earth trading. The two individuals had overlapping careers in Guangxi, with a long history of involvement in the rare earth trade.
Yin Ke also disclosed that following Lan Tianli’s investigation, Guo Shengkun was summoned for questioning, and officials promoted by Guo in Guangxi were being re-investigated by a joint task force from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Organization Department of the CCP.
Furthermore, Yin Ke hinted at another former associate of Guo Shengkun from Guangxi facing serious issues.
Guo Shengkun and Zeng Qinghong, a senior CCP official and ally of former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, share a hometown connection in Jiangxi Province, and it is rumored that Guo is Zeng’s nephew by marriage.
After Lan Tianli’s downfall, the Guangxi authorities made an uncommon statement, declaring that there are no guarantees of immunity and no one is above the law. This declaration echoed similar rhetoric seen following the arrest of former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, which was perceived as a veiled reference to Zeng Qinghong.
On June 14, independent commentator Cai Shunkun, residing in the United States, cited sources from Beijing stating that Zeng Qinghong had been placed under soft detention. However, this information has not been verified at this time.